


Less Like Magic

by DoveMagnet



Category: Undertale, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: ASL, Gen, undertale - Freeform, w.d. gaster - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-28
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-05-03 18:46:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5302712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoveMagnet/pseuds/DoveMagnet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Through experiments with Determination and unimaginable sacrifice, Sans has gained the ability to carry memories past the human's erratic resets. He remembers every detail of the Underground's extermination... and Frisk's involvement in it.</p><p>But the most important memory remains shrouded in frustrating uncertainty:</p><p>Where has Gaster gone?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Monotony

**Author's Note:**

> Like the other ones, you have gone,   
> And our story has come to an end.  
> There is seldom an action   
> That creates results I intend...
> 
> -Folly and the Hunter, "Our Stories End"

"SANS!" The shrill greeting bounced upstairs and pierced through my unconscious fog. I moaned and the world came into bleary focus. My head pounded like a jackhammer. _Seriously? That's the third time today._

"Sans, get up! I've made you breakfast," Papyrus crowed from the kitchen, "and I daresay this is my best creation yet!" I cringed as the scent of burning spaghetti assailed my senses and I fought to keep my mind fuzzy, but no.. the last vestiges of sleep had already slipped from my eyes and, once again, I experienced the misfortune of being completely conscious.

Grounding myself in the real world once more was so cumbersome it hurt. My ribs felt cracked, my hands slightly delayed, as if they hadn't caught up to the rest of me yet. A tiny stream of Determination slid down my jaw and I caught it in my palm. Gross, sure, but I had to keep using it if I wanted to hold on to my memories between resets.

I focused on the slats of morning light filtering through the window and willed my bones to dry, coaxed the Determination back into my marrow. It left cooling trails along my joints, and then it was gone.

It took some doing, but after a couple of clumsy tries I disentangled my arm and torso from the wad of sheets on my bed. Every movement felt weighted, like the air itself had put on extra mass specifically to make my day suck that much more. I slogged across the carpet, kicking a stray hot dog bun into the trash tornado in the corner. It joined the whirlwind and smeared mustard on the crumpled equations that had stopped mattering months ago. Or maybe they stopped mattering next week-it was all the same anymore. Shirt, slippers, whoopie cushion, sweater. Autonomous movements under the throbbing fog I always felt after a reset. 

I was down the stairs in about a minute. This apparently wasn't fast enough for Papyrus.

"Good MORNING, you lazybones," he said, shoving his latest concoction under my nose. "Better eat fast so you can make it to work on time!" 

"What, and spoil my perfect late record?" I took the plate, which seemed to satisfy my brother, and stumbled over to the table. Did my head have to hurt quite this much? _Little excessive, doncha think?_ I thought sourly to the human. Not that the kid could hear. 

I sat heavily on a chair, bones clacking against the wood, and rubbed the sleep from my eye sockets. Mid-yawn, I noticed my pet rock had fresh sprinkles on it. _Huh._ Hadn't noticed that last time. I took an experimental bite of breakfast, which tasted exactly as green as the last two times I'd eaten it, and gave a hollow chuckle. "You really outdid yourself today, Papyrus," I said, glancing over to see his reaction. "You used the real noodles instead of the _impastas._ "

"What are you insinuating, brother? That I use fake-" It took a minute for the pun to catch, but when it did, the reaction was 100% worth the effort it took to chew the sauce. Papyrus returned to the stove and stirred in a furious maelstrom of tomato and garlic.

"You're just lucky I still give you spaghetti! A lesser skeleton may have denied you the honor long ago."

"You're probably right," I said, twirling the noodles with a bit more gusto. "Hey, by the way, thanks for feeding my pet rock."

"You are welcome! But don't count on me doing that next time, you've got to take some responsibility for him."

"Yeah, I really take you for _granite_ sometimes, bro." I was rewarded with the sound of a dropped pot in the kitchen. I stifled a snort with another mouthful of spaghetti. Some resets were almost worth it for the chance to sneak in a few more jokes. 

_Almost._

"Do you really have to do that? Make puns every other sentence?

"Yep."

"I'm warning you, one more pun and I revoke your spaghetti privileges for the day. You, you... punster."

"Okay, okay. I'll stop." I chewed the sauce, in silent companionship with my rock on the table. Well, silent except for Papyrus' enthusiastic clanging in the kitchen. He really wanted me to go to work today... maybe Undyne had talked to him about my absences. Made sense, since it was hard to keep my days straight anymore. And anyway if I were to be completely honest... human-watching sort of lost its appeal once you'd seen what they were capable of.

I shoved my plate aside, appetite suddenly gone. "I'm taking off early."

Papyrus' voice emanated from the fridge, where he was digging for more ingredients. "You don't want to finish your spaghetti?"

"Nah, it's pretty, uh, rich. Couldn't eat something that special in one sitting."

"Perfect! Then I'll save the rest for your dinner! Look at how resourceful your brother is." He began humming a jaunty tune into the vegetable crisper.

My throat caught a little. No matter what situation I threw at him, time after time, he always found the good in it. I jabbed my hands in my sweater pockets and squeezed them tight to keep my voice steady. "Thanks, bro. You're the best."

"Yes, I know. Have a good day at work, Sans. Capture a human for me!" 

 

* * *

 

I shuffled out the front door and tiredly sidestepped the falling icicle. It shattered over the doorstep instead of over my head like the first time. The snow crunched predictably under my feet.

_When, kid?_

My breath came out in clouds and my thoughts came out in tangles. I idly wondered what the human could possibly be doing that would take so many attempts in such quick succession... _Kid's probably getting their butt handed to them,_ I thought with some small satisfaction. I stopped for a moment. A couple of teenagers had heard my footsteps and hidden behind the trees by the path. Must've thought they were being sneaky. I looked over at the ill-concealed Cap peeking between the branches and sighed. In ten minutes, they were going to whitewash my post and run away laughing. Then Undyne would come by and rant about keeping my station clean, and no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn't be able to unsee her form crumpled on the bridge... the slowing speech...

I shook my head, feeling the Determination slick on my bones. _Gotta stop remembering stuff in public,_ I thought. A few deep breaths returned my bones to their normal state.

I watched a fat snowflake drop onto my path and scuffed a soggy slipper over it. This day was already a wash. 

_Eh, what the heck._ I drew in a deep breath, feeling the icy air thread over my ribs and gather its winter chill in my marrow. Once I had enough, the magic shivered its way up my spine and formed a frigid circle in my eye. Suddenly I could focus much more clearly on the streams of magic running through the underground: the lazy ribbons of energy weaving through the tree roots, the agitated strings vibrating inside a hiding Snowdrake. I scrutinized the treeline for a moment... There. A soft glint off a nonexistent thread of magic, an echo from some long-dead reset. I changed the angle of my path, reached out to persuade the magic into my bones... and found myself walking through Grillby's front door.

"Sansy!" Bun called from her customary table. 

"Heya," I replied, mid-stride. "You're here early."

"Yeah, you should talk," She giggled into her spider cider. "Yer face looks like you took the shortest shortcut you knew today. Skippin' work?"

 _I'm giving that much away?_ I forced my smile into a more convincing shape and chuckled. "Let's just say I had to see my main man about a burger." Behind the counter, Grillby stood serene as always, polishing the already spotless pint glasses with a rag. His flames crackled in greeting as I sidled up to a stool. "You get in that new shipment yet?" I asked. In response, he reached under the counter and produced a mercifully large bottle of ketchup. "Fantastic," I sighed, popping off the cap. "Cheers." He silently watched me chug the entire bottle.

"That was... enthusiastic." His warm whisper, though mocking, was still gentle enough to make my plastered smile wilt for a fraction of a second. "What happened today?"

"Eh, same old," I said, wiping my face with a sleeve. The elemental's flame crackled skeptically.

"...Care to elaborate?"

I set the bottle down in frustration. "Dude, I came here to take my mind _off_ things, not get _grilled_ about 'em! Eh? Eh?" Lesser Dog barked a laugh from the corner, but Grillby's gaze remained fixed on my face. I caught the flicker of suspicion behind his glasses and smiled hard. "You know what? I think a double-decker burger would significantly improve my day. Think you can make that happen?"

He regarded me for a moment, smoke filtering through his shirt collar, but seemed to think better of saying anything and swept off into the back room. As always, the bar cooled a few degrees with his exit. I fidgeted nervously with the ketchup cap. What was that purplish flicker that had tinged his flame for just a second? Was that... concern?

"Pheh." I grabbed for another ketchup bottle. Last thing I needed was someone asking questions. I had to be more careful.

 

* * *

 

One burger (and a significant amount of ketchup) later, I walked out of Grillby's, pleasantly full. The annoyance of the morning was practically gone and my shift was halfway through.

 _Better reset quick, kid,_ I thought flippantly, _before Undyne catches-_

I froze before even knowing why, joints buzzing with magic. That energy, the tiny flicker of hot Determination on the other side of the building... _The human._ I pulled up my hood and slid back out of sight, drawing the cold air in through my clenched teeth, mixing it with power, and coaxing it to settle in my eye. Since the kid had no magic (what kind of freak can live without magic anyway), I had to read their intentions through Determination levels, which took a lot of concentration. I skimmed the roiling waves of energy, searching for any hint of corrosion... and breathed my spell out in a huff of relief. No sign of violent intentions. At least not this time. 

The kid rounded the corner, cell phone to one ear. Seemed passive enough. _Don't relax just yet,_ I reminded myself. _You can never be sure._ I watched them go. Heard the _shuff_ of their feet as they headed around the corner and towards the river.

I put my hand over my eye socket... the ache there wandered back and forth like a wayward whimsum. It was making it kinda tough to concentrate on anything... 

And then the searing light flashed, pouring into my ribcage and perforating my bones. Energy. Everywhere. Energy that edited the history of every molecule's vibrations, cutting and pasting as it saw fit. Whatever the Reset was, it always felt less like magic and more like a full-body brain freeze. I ground my teeth, clung desperately to the memories, felt the Determination beading on my skull, and then...

* * *

"SANS!" The shrill greeting bounced upstairs and pierced my unconscious fog. I moaned and the world came into bleary focus. My head pounded with the last reset. 

"Sans, get up! I've made you breakfast," Papyrus crowed from the kitchen below, "and I daresay this is my best creation yet!" The smoke snaked in subtly under my door, accenting Papyrus' laugh in a worrisome way. 

I sighed and rolled over to stare at the ceiling.

_Ok, human, this is getting annoying._


	2. Monotony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans fights off memories of a past genocide run and- miracle of miracles- actually goes to work.

I lurched out the front door, sidestepped the falling icicle once more, and glowered out at the snow. _Kid, you need to stop,_ I thought, balling my fingers into fists in my pockets. I didn't know what the human was up to, but I didn't like it. The last time they'd done this many resets, they'd given me enough consistency to patch together a rudimentary memory-retention technique, but that was hardly worth seeing...

My eye socket burned. The images sprang, unbidden, to my mind: the spear falling from the bridge and breaking in two over the stalagmites below, the slush tracked into the caves by dozens of frightened feet...

The red scarf lying desolate in the snow.

An especially loud _clang_ from the kitchen made me jump. "Sans, shut the door! You'll cool the sauce before it catches fire!" Heart racing, I spun to watch him from the doorframe. There he was. Smiling, stirring the sauce, chucking entire cloves of garlic in the pot. Very much alive. I wheezed out a weak laugh.

"Heh, make it a good batch, bro!" He nodded his assent, too busy jamming dry spaghetti noodles into the pot to reply. I kept my eyes on him as I shut the door.

Couldn't keep my teeth from chattering a bit as I trudged to the Snowdin post.

 

* * *

 

_Thump._

I cracked an eyesocket and cringed at the bright light bouncing off the snow. My feet tingled sharply- they were asleep. Not surprising, considering I'd been napping in the sentry chair the majority of my shift.

_Thump._

This time a bit of powder trickled down from the sentry station's weathered wall. Quiet giggling preceded another _Thunk._

 _Well if it ain't the Cubs themselves,_ I thought, throwing a half-lidded glance at the bushes where the teenagers had stockpiled their snowballs. I was too tired to do much about it, so I just shut my eye and listened to the rhythmic _thumps_ as the kids wreacked their havoc on the wall.

"Jeez, he's sure a heavy sleeper, huh?" whispered Snow Cap.

"More like way lazy," rasped the Snow Drake. "How the heck did he get hired?"

I interrupted their giggles with a shrug, eyes still closed. "Beats me, kiddo. Maybe you should ask Undyne when she gets here in... oh, thirty seconds." They froze just long enough to highlight the faint metallic tramp of the Captain's sollerets in the distance.

The snow erupted into scrambling claws and panicked whispers. I smiled a little wider. The kids were gone before Undyne even made it to the station.

"SANS, YOU LAZYBUTT!"

"That's me."

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR POST?!"

"My... post?"

"YES, YOUR POST!!"

I opened one lazy eye to glance at her gauntlets, which were in the process of squeezing the windowsill so hard it splintered. "Looks like some _gill's_ messed up the woodwork. When you find out who it is, you should let _minnow._ "

Of course I knew why she was outraged. The snow on the side sketched out a lovingly rendered picture of Undyne's face, complete with devil horns and decorative butts. The teenagers were getting really precise with their magic.

Undyne slammed her fist into the station counter and I couldn't help but flinch a little.

"THIS REFLECTS BADLY ON THE ROYAL GUARD AND ON THE KING," she raged. "WHAT IF A HUMAN HAD COME BY?!"

"I think they would have admired the artistic detail."

"I MEAN WHILE YOU WERE _ASLEEP!!!_ "

I could practically feel her hot breath on my face, but I kept my eyes closed. The memories the reset had dredged up this morning were still too strong. I didn't want to see that face, remember the Determination warping her mouth, the armor dripping with scales, the spear falling through the slats in the bridge...

Undyne slammed her fists into the wall, a welcome distraction.

"ANSWER ME!"

"Don't worry about it." My voice cracked, despite my grin. "I can sense a human from a mile away. Besides, Papyrus is up ahead to pick up my slack, so, I mean, we're covered." That much was true, he'd harassed me when he headed up to recalibrate his puzzles. At the mention of my brother's name, Undyne seemed to deflate a little.

"Well. Clean it up before the end of your shift."

"Will do."

" _Sure_ you will."

She remained a moment, and I felt her eyes on my face. Then she huffed and stomped off back towards Waterfall. The silence engulfed me once more.

I sighed heavily and took my feet off the counter. I considered the inside of the sentry wall for a long moment. _I'm going soft,_ I decided, and thunked the wall with one magic-engulfed fist. The snow on the other side of the wall fell to the ground in a shower.

Not that I'd completely wimped out. I obviously still left a couple butts.


	3. Monotony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another sentry shift, another terrifying child on the docks...

"SANS!" The shrill greeting bounced upstairs and pierced through my unconscious fog. I moaned and the world came into bleary focus. My head pounded with the last reset. _Not today,_ I thought. _Not again._ It felt like I was made of concrete. 

"Sans, get up! I've made you breakfast," Papyrus crowed from the kitchen,  "and I daresay this is my best creation yet!" I dimly registered the smell of something burning on the stove. I curled tighter around the blankets, and with my last bit of strength, sucked the dripping Determination back into my bones. That was it; I was spent.

"Sans?" A pause, then a clang.

"Sans!" Feet stomping up the stairs. Not because he was angry, but because that was just how Papyrus walked.

"Sans, get up, you need to go to work!" He fiddled with the doorknob for a second, but of course it was always locked. "SERIOUSLY? Wake _up,_ you lazybones! Do you _want_ to get fired? ...You know what, don't answer that question. I am going to count to ten and you're going to get up and eat an extremely delicious breakfast!"

He began counting. All I could manage was a blank stare at the pillow on the floor.

"Ten! Perfect! Are you ready, brother?" A long silence.

Ever unflappable, Papyrus dove in again. "All right, that was just for practice. This time, I'm going to count to _twenty_ , and when I'm done, you're going to be up and ready to go!" I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut as he began counting. I heard a soft tap and suspected he'd put his skull up to my door to listen better. Though my thoughts were foggy, one thing was clear. _He deserves so much better than this._

"Twenty! Are we up yet?" Papyrus paused expectantly. With a Herculean effort, I lifted my head from the mattress. "Well, I suppose if the first one was practice, that one could be considered the warmup." I forced myself to sit up. "Now to start the real thing. Worry not, the great Papyrus will count strong and true until you are ready!" I stood shakily. "This time, I'm going to count to thirty and- oh!" I'd opened the bedroom door.

I stared up at the heroic silhouette my brother cut in the doorframe. He blinked uncertainly back down at me- a mess in yesterday's wrinkled clothes, unidentifiable stains riddling my sweater. Yesterday had been so long ago, even _I'd_ forgotten what spilled.

"Sans! You're up! I was beginning to wonder if you were even _in_ there!" 

"Yeah, I... I was." I couldn't believe he'd actually gotten me on my feet. 

"Yes, well, come on down! There's just enough time for you to try my masterpiece before heading to work!" He turned, ready to sweep down the stairs, and my fingers reached out reflexively to grab at the tattered hem of his scarf. Puzzled, he paused. 

"Sans...? Are you... cold? Would you like my scarf?" He went to pull it off, but my mind raced to the last time it had left his neck and I stopped him in a rush.

"No, I... uh, it looks better on you."

He laughed, a wide, nasal sound that could only come from a smile as big as his. "Nyeh heh! Of course it does, brother!" He clapped a friendly hand on my back. "That's the most sensible thing you've said all week!"

 

* * *

 

I couldn't sleep once I got to the sentry station. I was too anxious.  _What is that kid doing? They never need to reset this much unless they're up to something..._ I fidgeted with my magic for a bit, rolling it along my fingers like a billiard ball, then settled on scanning the trees, which was probably good because that was my job. I tapped my foot on the chair. 

_Stop thinking about it._ Tap tap tap. _The kid does their thing, you do yours._ Tap tap tap. _You couldn't stop it before, you can't stop it now, just stay at your post..._ Taptaptaptaptaptaptap- 

"Ugh." I pushed out of the chair and strode out from behind the counter. I closed my eyes, felt for a shortcut, seized the threads impatiently, and let the magic yank me clear to Waterfall.

 

* * *

 

My slippers touched ground on the mossy cobblestones just outside the lantern room. The walls shone subtly with luminescent stones and every sound was a little more hollow down here. I heard Woshua's excited bubbles reverbrating from somewhere deep in the cavern, but no sign of the kid. _What'd you expect, genius?_ I scuffed my shoes on the stone and turned to face the door. Faking more confidence than I felt, I sidled past the archway and into the blackness of the lantern room.

"Shy?" My voice came out reedy in the inky dark. I felt so exposed in here. I ventured a few more steps into the maze, letting my eye take on a tentative glow. "Shyren, are you here?" Just to make sure she was listening, I hummed a few hoarse bars of whatever Papyrus was singing in the kitchen this morning. Once I ran out of notes, I listened. 

"Why'd you stop?" 

I jumped slightly (She'd come up right behind me) but managed to stifle any sudden noises. I turned around slowly to avoid startling her. "Shy! Hey, it's been a while!" The light from my eye brushed softly across her hunched form, making more of a question out of her than an answer.

"You just came to see me yesterday," she whispered. 

"Right. Heh, funny, it seemed like longer! Guess I couldn't wait to hear the rest of that song you were writing!"

I could practically hear her blushing. "It- it's not that good, is it?"

"Would I be here if it wasn't?"

Her voice carried the unmistakable trace of a smile. "I guess not... Anyway, I haven't written any more, but m-maybe in a couple days..."

"I respect that. Pearls don't grow overnight." She fell silent (overwhelmed maybe?) and I took that as a sign to change the subject. "Hey, I heard there was a human wandering around in here. You seen anything like that?"

"No..."

"But?"

"But I did see something weird over by the docks... the place where the little birdie sometimes plays."

The light from my eye faltered a bit. "What was it?"

"I-I don't know," she stuttered. I must have come off too intense. I took a breath and steadied my magic. _Stay calm._

"Was it anything you recognized?"

"The better word might be... any _one_... " She hunched in a little tighter. "I didn't like it, so I left. They didn't have any colors."

"...Colors?" Shyren had started shivering. She retreated from the radius of light my eye provided. "Wait!" Her tail flicked out of sight. "Aw, Shy, I didn't mean to scare you, sorry!"

But there was no response. Just my own voice bouncing off the cavern walls.

  _Colors?_

I backed hesitantly out of the lantern room, grasping blindly for a shortcut. For some indescribable reason, I didn't want to see what Shy was talking about. Maybe it was the way she'd disappeared, maybe it was my already-thick anxiety. But something felt wrong. Swallowing the dread bunching in my chest, I seized a passing thread of magic before I had the chance to talk myself out of it.

 

* * *

 

I found my footing on the east side of the dock. The tiny waves below reflected fractured glints of light, and a slight mist rose from the water. The bird wasn't there.

Instead stood the figure of a child. A breeze came up off the water, ruffling his shirt and tugging at my sweater. Something was off, though... The darkness surrounding us seemed to have no effect on him, and the harsh shadows riddling the planks beneath us never once touched his skin. He stood in unnerving desaturation, grays running uninterrupted from the spikes on his head to the claws on his toes.

He stared blankly at the water.

I felt a growing sense of trepidation, but eased closer.

"Hey, kid..." I said in hushed tones, "you ok?"

Quicker than I thought possible, he turned to face me. I couldn't help but stare- he had no pupils.

"Have you ever thought..." the wispy voice left his mouth in hesitant snatches, "about a world where everything is exactly the same... except you don't exist?"

Something in his phrasing pulled at a memory... colored vials, tile floors... a tired figure leaning on the console... Magic shot down my spine and pricked at my fingers. Something about this was very wrong. "Heh, kid, if you're trying to scare me, you could just say 'boo', ya know?"

He didn't acknowledge that I'd said anything. "Everything functions perfectly without you... Ha, ha..." He chuckled emptily. The same chuckle. Magic throbbed in my head, primal fear beginning to take over. I waited in an abstract sort of horror to see whether he'd finish the memory... 

"The thought terrifies me." There it was. That last phrase, like lightning through my soul. The child turned back to face the black reservoir.

Frigid magic sang through my bones, and my voice came out weak. "...Gaster?"

No sooner had I uttered the word than the blinding energy engulfed me, spinning me uncontrollably into another reset.

 

 


	4. Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans goes back to the drawing board, narrowly avoids being killed over his jokes, and prepares to give the human a bad time.

My molecules vibrated violently, willing me to blur, to lose what had happened, to become what I was yesterday, my consciousness roiled and ran like the lava in the Core, but I surrounded it with my magic and refused to let it escape. The Determination boiled hot through my marrow and dripped from my bones, flashes, memories, I held them all in the fiercest grip I could muster, the spear falling, the empty houses, the good-natured handshake... and then in the deepest recesses of memory, the thin fingers grasping at the console, the flowers, the shattered vials on the floor... and two smiles dancing on th e   e d g e  o f    m y    v i  s  i o  n    .   .   . 

I banged my head hard on the wall as I sat up.

 "URG, NO!" I leapt out of bed with a sharp cry and an energy fiercer than anything I'd felt in months (or days, whatever). I dragged the leftover Determination back into my bones and searched my thoughts. My breaths came ragged. _How the heck did that kid know the last words Gaster said to me? Why was he all gray? Why was he even at the docks in the first place?!_ All the memories I'd fought to retain this whole time... I'd begun to wonder if some of them were even real. Now I had an actual shot at getting CONCRETE EVIDENCE and the human just decided to stick their little fingers in the timeflow! I pounded my fist into the paper wrappers littering my desk- had I been pacing? My attention whipped over to the trash tornado in the corner and I snatched a rumpled sheet of calculations from its core. Brushing a few dried streaks of ketchup off it, I bored into the figures. They had been about 60 percent theoretical up until now, but maybe if I substituted a few values... I returned to my desk and started scribbling. When I ran out of room, I moved on to candy wrappers.

 "SANS!" Papyrus' voice pierced my concentration. "Sans, get up! I've made you breakfast, and I daresay this is my best creation yet!" I wasted no energy on a reply, instead scribbling fiercely on the wrappers, mind racing. _If he exists, but doesn't at the same time, maybe I should implement another variable here... Ugh, why am I not GRAPHING this?_ I swept it all off my desk and started drawing on the bare wood. I had no straightedge so I just tipped the lamp over and used its stem to draw against. The parabolas flew from my pencil in one, two, five, seven... too many directions. I rubbed my eyesockets in frustration. The equations were too _vague_ , I needed more _constants..._

 _Knock knock knock!_ "Sans, get up, you need to go to work!" I crammed the wrappers and an old watch into my pockets and flung the door open. Papyrus jumped a bit, startled by my energy. "Oh you're up! are you ready for your shift?"

 "Yep!" I wheezed, "Absolutely, don't want to leave Undyne with a skeleton crew, do I? Or in my case, wouldn't want to leave her _without_ a skeleton crew, heh, I'm, uh,  going in early seeyalaterbro!"

 "S-Sans?" His jaw dropped as I practically fell down the stairs. His shock didn't last for long, however. "It appears that sleepiness is no match for the motivating scent of the great Papyrus' spaghetti!" I caught a satisfied "Nyeh heh heh" from behind me before I shut the front door. I barely dodged the falling icicle (I'd forgotten all about it) and ran headlong into the snow. There _had_ to be a shortcut around here somewhere.

 

* * *

 

I landed, hard, on the planks at the docks. The impact forced a grunt out of me but I scrambled to my feet anyway. Something about that shortcut was weird- it didn't deposit me on the ground, but rather two feet above it. Probably I hadn't been concentrating enough during the jump. _Careful, Sans,_ I thought, _don't lose your 1 HP over something stupid_.

The wind threaded through the planks in the dock, just like before, but this time it was desolate. There was no figure standing at the edge. I pulled the old watch out of my pocket, nearly losing a couple of wrappers in the process. 9:17.

I was suddenly aware of my heavy breaths echoing from the cavern ceiling above _. Well, it was a little later when I came here last time_ , _what with going to work and all._ I sat down on the planks, feet dangling over the side, and reached into my pockets. _Just gotta wait it out_. I fished the wrappers from my sweater and spread my haphazard calculations out on the wood. They were ok, for what they were.

But what they were was a couple of water sausages short of a hot dog stand.

I checked my watch. 9:19.  This was going to be a long day.

I pulled out a couple of pencils and started scribbling the idle guesswork that I knew would lead nowhere.  My lines skipped over the rough woodgrain, leaving skittering marks on the candy wrappers, but I wasn't really writing this for reference anyway. Just to think it out. Each failed equation made me a little more impatient, and I kept adjusting my workspace, moving the wrappers this way and that. Eventually, to get the extra pencils out of the way I just dropped them into my nose-hole. After that, every time I erased another line, they rattled. It was kinda entertaining, not gonna lie.

"S-Sans?" The tentative whisper in my ear caught me off guard.

"WHOA!" I whipped around to face the voice, magic clawing up my spine. "Don't SCARE me like tha..." I trailed off when I saw who it was. Shyren, obviously startled, had jerked back and wrapped her arms tight around her torso. I dropped my voice to a calmer timbre. "Sheesh, Shy, give a guy a heart attack!" Her eyes had grown large and frightened, she took in my face, the pencils in my nose... gosh, it looked like she might cry. "I'm- sorry, I didn't mean-"

She interrupted my fumbled apology with a sharp bout of laughter. Her guffaws crashed into the dock's floor like torpedoes, sending shock waves that sprayed water everywhere and cracked the wood in treacherous undulations.

 "SHY!" I struggled to dodge a splintered two-by-four. "SHY, YOU GOTTA BE CAREFUL WITH ME, REMEMBER? I'M-" I leapt out of the way of a particularly nasty laugh- "I'M KINDA FRAGILE, OK?"

"I'M, HAHA, SO SORRY!" She could barely string the words together between waves of laughter. "IT'S JUST, THE PENCILS!" Her mouth opened and an unearthly howl sprang out, shredding wood and leaving magic crackling in its wake.

I ducked behind a large piling and clung to it for dear life, letting it take a volley of nails for me. "TELL YA WHAT," I shouted over the screeches, "YOU PUT YOUR HANDS OVER YOUR MOUTH AND HOLD YOUR BREATH AND I'LL TAKE THESE RIGHT OUT. COUNT OF THREE. ONE... TWO... THREE!"

She took a deep breath, slapped one hand over her mouth, and held in the sound. I cautiously stepped down from my piling, turning my back to her so she wouldn't see the offending pencils. "Sorry Shy, normally I love making people laugh, but..." I carefully slid one of the pencils out of my nose and tucked it in a pocket. "You're a special situation..." I pulled out another. The last was just a nub, so I had to be careful. I reached a delicate finger in to trap it. "Guess if I had to go out some way, though, an appreciative audience wouldn't be a bad-" She snorted and the dock rocked slightly. "Wait!" _Clunk!_ The last pencil fell in deeper and scraped against my eye socket.

 "...Oh, no," I breathed. I heard Shy start to move, but I held a hand back to stop her. "Stay back! Believe me, you don't wanna see this... I mean, you actually really do, but I haven't written my will yet, so- OOP!" The dock swayed precariously as she choked down another laugh. _Can you stop cracking jokes for two seconds?_ I berated myself. _Gonna get yourself killed._

I reached a cautious hand into my eye socket to feel for the pencil, but it was nowhere to be found. I shook my head with the intention of dislodging it, but only succeeded in making it rattle around. Shyren made a noise like a panicked teapot. "Turn around, Shy! Jeez!" With a few more rattles, the pencil nub finally settled in a spot I could reach. "GUH," I sighed, sticking it in my pocket. "I am _never_ doing that again." I turned towards Shy and caught the glimpse of her tail retreating into the darkness. My eyes flicked  back to the west end of the dock and suddenly I didn't blame Shyren for running.

 There he was again, gray and unaffected by the shadows of the cave... and he stood exactly where he'd been earlier, even though that part of the dock had cracked off and sunk into the reservoir. He was feet away from anything that could bear his weight... which also meant _I_ couldn't get very close to him.

 I picked my way to the splintered end of the dock and stared. "Kid? Hello?" He didn't seem to hear me. "Uh... Gaster?" That prompted a surprised yelp. His eyes scanned sightlessly around the cave.

 "Who's there? Who said my name?" His voice sounded like it was coming through a pot of boiling water, and the panicked glances didn't stop, even on my face. It was as if he was looking at blank walls rather than the Underground.

 "It... it's Sans!"

 "Hello? Who's there?"

 "Hey, can you hear me?" He looked so scared, I needed to be there...

 His mouth opened once more, but the words were whipped away in a sudden wave of energy. _A reset._ The light blasted through me, demanding that my molecules join its wavelength. I began the excruciating work of protecting my memories, this time fueled by white-hot rage.

 

* * *

 

And then I was back in bed, clenching my fists in a fury. The magic writhed in my eye socket and set the ceiling aglow. I could barely control my powers in this state... but to be painfully honest, I didn't particularly care. I flung the door open, stomped down the stairs, and paused only briefly when Papyrus noticed me.

 "Sans?! What on earth are you doing?!"

 With a flick of the wrist, I turned the front door blue and bashed it off its hinges.

 The magic danced behind me in a frigid trail as I strode out the hole. "Finding a human."


	5. Shortcuts

I barely registered the morning chill as I marched through the yard in the direction of the closest shortcut. There, behind the garage and above a neglected bag of dog food, the thread vibrated with a piercing sort of energy, as if sympathizing with my rage. I reached out and gripped it hard, directing it to Hotland.

Too late, I noticed the stickiness of it. This thread reeked of human Determination.

Everything fell away; my arm nearly jerked out of its socket. The air turned to hard edges and corners, shredding past my bones and sucking the magic from me like ketchup through a straw. In an instant, my anger shifted to unbridled fear as I realized:

I could not let go of the thread.

Colors and sensations whipped past; white snow, lights flashing purple with the rhythm of pounding dance music, the scent of Grillby's fries... and above it all, words whispered in a shiver through my body:

        ~~DARK DARKER YET DARKER~~

        ~~THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING~~...

I fought to gain control of my fingers, _willed_ them to open just a little bit...

        ~~THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPER~~

        ~~PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE~~...

Another scene flashed in front of me, this time accompanied by raging heat. It was the molten rock streaming under Hotland, and I was hurtling towards it, completely and irrevocably stuck to the erratic movements of the shortcut.

        ~~THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT~~

        ~~SEEMS~~

        ~~VERY~~

        ~~VERY~~

        ~~INTERESTING~~

The heat blasted my face, I was headed towards the glowing surface...

        ~~WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK?~~

In a last-ditch effort to let go of the thread, I drew in a burning, ash-laden breath and released my Determination.

 

* * *

 

Steam rose off the snow where the old grove of trees had stood only moments before. Slashes riddled the ground and bones poked up crookedly from the ice. I sat, breathing out the last of my uncontrolled magic in ragged clouds.

My clothes reeked of sulfur.

" _Jeez,_ kid..." I breathed, though there was no one around to hear. Perhaps _because_ there was no one around to hear. "What the heck did you _do_?"

I had more questions than answers, but one thing was clear: I couldn't afford to use the shortcuts anymore.

_Is this even worth it?_ I wondered. _As far as anyone else knows, he never existed. No one misses him, no one cares._ I felt my gaze soften. That wasn't quite true.

I caught my knuckles clacking against each other and shoved my hands in my hoodie pockets. _You still got this,_ I reminded myself. _Shortcut tampering aside, the kid's just a baby._ _You already owned them dozens of times in the castle._ I gave a nervous chuckle. That narrative was weak and I knew it. I may have dunked on the kid multiple times in the great hall, but they just didn't _die._ They kept coming back and getting better at dodging my attacks, faster and more accurate... until there was a blank space in my memory I couldn't really account for. 

It chilled my bones.

To distract myself, I reached in an inner coat pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. That little display had cost me a _lot_ of magic, and I needed to get my mojo back quick if I was gonna confront the kid. Because apparently mojo was all I had anymore.

The chocolate made me feel a bit better. I put my hands on my knees and used the leverage to stand up. In the past I would have tried to hide the damage in the clearing, but the way things were going, it'd probably be reset before I even found the kid. The fresh magic from the food felt like a snake coiled around my ribs, tight but manageable. I trotted off east towards Hotland.

 

* * *

 

I found Frisk standing outside the west puzzle room. Just standing. Surrounded by the bare rocks and the sweltering lava that had almost offed me earlier, I had to fight to keep my magic from boiling up again. " _Seriously,_ kid, all these resets and you're not even battling anyone?! 

The little head turned to face me, stray wisps of hair billowing in the heat. Even though I could put on confidence like a spare jacket, I still had to clench my teeth to keep them from chattering. "Look, kid, I don't know what the heck you think you're doing, but some of us are trying to get work done."

The human's face didn't register  any emotion. They just tilted their head slightly to the right. Quizzical. The little hands rose up, right hand scooping over the left.

_< New.>_

The way the tiny fingers clamped together to form the word tugged at my memories. I pushed through them. "Excuse me,  _new?"_

_< New,>_ they signed again, impassive. < _You never come here. I make note. >_ Then, to my complete confusion, the kid let their hands drop to the side and just stood frozen, staring blankly at my jacket for a couple of seconds. Gave me the willies. After a moment, their expression snapped to one of expectation.

I squinted, unnerved. "You done?" The kid nodded in response. "Then read my mandible, human: _knock it off_." I felt my gaze turn cold and lifeless. "All this resetting for no reason is starting to get me _ticked."_

I thought about asking after the shortcuts, but that wasn't a hand I was particularly ready to tip. The kid's brow wrinkled in concentration.

_< Loud. No hear good. Please sign.>_

I became aware of the roaring industrial fans above us but folded my arms anyway. _"_ You pullin' my leg? You never made _Tori_ sign."

The kid shrugged _. <Tori have lips.>_

I smiled a bit in spite of myself. _No, this is definitely what got you in trouble before_ , I thought. _Keep it distant._

I drew my hands out of my pockets and stiffly laid out a _< no reset> _in the air.

< _Mad?_ >

< _Very._ >

< _Other times, you not mad_. >

My eye flared. "How do you figure that? Because it sure _felt_ like I was mad." The kid looked pointedly at my hands and I sighed. Signing like this just felt so... intimate. It was a language for happy things, not... _this_. I wiped my palms off on my sweater and raised them again.  < _Wrong._ _Other times, I mad_. >

< _Other times, you never tell me_. > The heat rose in sickening waves from the magma below. < _Why today? What change? >_

I studied them for a long moment, eye rippling with concentration. I still saw no corruption in that tiny soul, but heck if I was going to trust them again. < _Secret_. >

< _Then I reset_. > The red light started to collect around Frisk's chest in preparation.

"Don't you DARE!" The same flick of the hand that shouted an emphatic < _KNOCK IT OFF >_ sent a row of bones shooting through the ground in clouds of dirt. They froze inches away from the little worn shoes. < _Need to meet with someone. NO RESETS. >_

The kid looked on impassively. < _Not there. >_

The bones surrounding us bristled an aggressive blue. < _WHAT._ >

< _I change value already. Grey boy not there._ >

"You... changed the value." A wry chuckle slipped through my teeth. Couldn't this kid explain things like a normal monster? My attacks formed angry columns, pounding the ground to accent the letters I deliberately spelled. < _WHAT. VALUE. MIGHT. THAT. BE?! >_

The human remained infuriatingly impassive, even as the pounding bones sent out bursts of air that tore at their clothes and hair. A slight smile played on their lips. _ <Fun value.>_

I froze. Something in those words rang familiar.

My mind flickered back through the glitchy memories... how many hours had Gaster stood in front of his computer screen, sparks trailing from his fingertips as he muttered about The Code? Had he ever talked about a fun value? The memories weren't entirely intact...

I jumped as the kid walked right past me and continued on to the next room. How the heck had they gotten through my fence so quick? They stopped just beyond the door and tipped their head expectantly. < _Come? >_

I released the magic and the attacks dissipated in a flurry of light. < _Why? > _

A sweet smile lit up their face. I didn't trust it. < _We look for same person._ >

 

 


	6. Greys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans definitely has trust issues.

The fans still whirred in the next room, keeping temperatures low for the less skeletally inclined folks, but they were somewhat quieter than before. Our footsteps echoed solidly off the rock surrounding us. I sighed. Hotland wasn't a place I particularly liked to go... too many memories. 

Still... one thing bothered me. How had the kid been able to say with such confidence that I _never_ go here? Like they kept tabs on the joint? And how in Asgore's name did they know about Gaster's existence?

I started signing in the human's direction, but they were walking ahead of me and didn't notice my movements. I studied the familiar bouncing trot; the way the kid lifted both feet up a little higher than necessary with every step. I once found it endearing, but later I came to recognize the footfalls as something more menacing. Now I wasn't really sure what to make of it. I glanced over the edge of the path down at the boiling magma. There was a crackled stream of hardened brown floating on the surface, presumably where Icewolf's handiwork had cooled it down a bit... Still, wasn't like I wanted to jump in for a swim.

"Wha-" The kid had stopped and I bumped into them slightly. Their hair brushed softly against my jacket; my whole body tightened at the contact, like I'd just touched a pile of rotting seagrass. "Ugh, jeez, kid! Ya didn't hafta..."

The fans had died down. We stood in front of an open elevator.

The kid boarded, florescent lights casting harsh shadows over their delicate features.  Their mouth twitched in a small smile. _< Coming? >_ Frisk signed. I hesitated so long that the doors started to close and the kid had to block them with one tiny foot.

No way in heck did I want to be in an enclosed space with this drop of joy.

 _But... they know something. They might help find Gaster._ I wiped one hand off on my jacket and threw out a reluctant _< Yeah, yeah>_ before shoving past the doors and boarding.

The rumble of the elevator wasn't something I was too eager to experience.  The last time I'd used one was... well, years ago. Or the equivalent. Before I'd stopped working at the True Lab anyway- heck, before Gaster had even happened. I tapped a slippered foot impatiently. This ride was much slower than I remembered. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the kid look up at me and draw one tiny fist up by their shoulder.

  _< Knock knock...>_

 I pretended to be fascinated with the elevator dial.

  _< Knock knock...>_

 I never noticed those flecks on the floor tile before today.

  _< Knock... knock...>_

 I whirled on the kid and gave an aggressive shrug. _< WHAT.>_

 Their expression didn't change. _< Knock knock...>_

 I would have rolled my eyes if I'd had any. Grudgingly my hand left my pocket. _< Who's there?>_

 The elevator door opened. _< You tell me.>_

The air was penetrated by a poignant silence. Not like the fans had broken down, no; there wasn't even the echoing sound of magma boiling below. I was made painfully aware of the lights buzzing in the elevator.

I regarded the kid. _< Fun value?>_ I asked, pointing my chin at the strange atmosphere outside. They nodded. I turned, as if having them behind me didn't give me the heebie jeebies, and cautiously stepped into the silence.

The lighting was sterile, white. No orange glow crawling up from the depths of the magma river... _Wait_. There didn't appear to be any lava at all. I took another step forward and scanned the pit. Empty. My grunt of surprise was swallowed up in the heavy air as I felt a flicker of magic to my left.

There was a gray shape on the path.

He stood so perfectly still that it took me a moment to recognize him as a monster. His considerable mass loomed near the elevator door as if he had somewhere to be, but had forgotten his destination in transit. _Should he be tipped at quite that angle?_

I broke the silence. "Hello?" He turned to face me. The looseness of his skin made me suspect he was no stranger to Determination. "Whoa, hey, bud, you ok?" My smile elicited only a blank stare.

Since it had seemed to work last time, I took a deep breath and asked, "Gaster?"

The monster opened his mouth, which apparently extended almost the entire circumference of his head, and spoke in mathematically flat tones. "I understand why Asgore waited so long to hire a new Royal Scientist." His eyes didn't quite seem to reach mine. "The previous one... Dr. Gaster..."

"Yeah! Gaster!! You know him?"

The answer floated out on what I interpreted to be an admiring breath. Hard telling when the voice sounded like it crawled out of a can. "His brilliance was irreplaceable. However, his life... was cut short."

I took a step forward. "No, it wasn't! He didn't _die_ , he probably just got stuck somewhere in his prototype- " my words were tumbling over the monster's in a sloppy array-

"-One day, his experiments went wrong, and-"

"-Sure, I mean YEAH we went wrong, but after that we learned how to contain the Determination and-" I dropped off when the monster straightened his considerable frame and glanced furtively around the room. His tone became sharper.

"Well, I needn't gossip. After all... It's rude to talk about someone who's listening."

For once, my mind went blank. _Listening?_ The silence smothered me for a good second or two before I had the presence of mind to look over my shoulder. Don't know what I was expecting, but what I did see was a long dropoff into a void that should have been filled with glowing magma.

No monster, tall or small, stood behind me... So why did I feel _watched?_

I turned back to look at the stranger, only to find a slight shimmer in the spot where he had been standing, as if he'd left so suddenly that the air was still flooding in to occupy the vacant space. I swayed slightly on my feet.

This didn't feel real.

I looked slowly back towards the elevator, afraid I was stuck in some nightmare about to go sour. The kid standing stock still by the doors did nothing to grant me comfort. My hands caught on my pocket hems as I shakily pulled them out and wiped them on my sleeves. _< Who... what...>_ I couldn't even form a coherent thought.

The kid looked me over passively. _< Don't know.>_

_< Where he go?>_

_< Don't know.>_

_< Gaster is listening? Where?!>_

My bewilderment was met with a shrug. I turned desperately back to the spot where the monster had been, but now the air had settled and there was no sign of him ever being there.

It was frighteningly familiar.

 A movement by the elevator caught my eye. Frisk was signing again.

_< Others exist. Other grey people.>_

Hope sang through my marrow. Throwing out a quick _< Take me! Let's go!> _I barged into the elevator and waited for the kid to follow. They didn't.

_< You won't like.>_

I glared at that ever-impassive face. _< Why?>_

_< Have to reset.>_

I stared. They shrugged.

 _< Kid,>_ I signed, _< Not funny.>_

_< Not joke. Have to reset to meet other greys.>_

I stared. Those eyes gave away nothing. _Best poker face this side of Waterfall_ , I thought bitterly. _What even is this human?_ I shifted my weight uncomfortably. _< Not worth it.>_

_< Really? Your face say different.>_

I jabbed at the "L1" button (causing the kid to leap into the elevator before the doors closed) and stuck my hands in my pockets. Conversation over. During the long descent, I could see Frisk glancing up at me again, but they didn't attempt any humor this time. I smiled hard at the wall panels and tried to untangle the nervous magic knotted around my vertebrae.

Once we reached the bottom floor, the doors parted and I strode out into the welcome noise of the steam and the fans. I'd only made it a couple of steps when I felt a tug at my sleeve. I glanced down at Frisk, who seemed to be considering something.

 _< I think of other way.>_ The little fingers hovered hesitantly. _< Maybe.>_

_< What way?>_

_< Maybe when I sleep...>_

I crouched a bit to come closer to the kid's eye level. _< Change fun value when asleep? Is possible?>_

 _< Maybe.>_ We looked at each other for a long moment. The security guards standing several hundred yards away laughed uproariously about something, unaware of our discussion. 

I cracked my knuckles and started in on the meat of what I wanted to say. _ <Question.>_ Frisk perked up attentively. _< How you know about Gaster?> _No one else in the entire underground seemed to even remember his existence, not even Papyrus.

The kid's hands fluttered enthusiastically, but even the words I recognized didn't make any sense. _< Many plays... bored... open terminal... loose ends in Code...>_

 _You believe in the Code too? Really kid?_ I got fed up quickly. _< Whoa, whoa, whoa. We speak Hands, not alien.>_

The kid bit their lip for a moment, trying to think of a better explanation. The words slid tentatively through their fingers. _< My... friend... met him.>_

That had my attention. _< Really?! Where?>_

_< In new room. Change fun value, find room.>_

This "fun value" was unlike any magic I'd ever heard of. Changing  architecture? Knocking out shortcuts? Making people appear and disappear out of nowhere? I crouched a bit and squinted at the kid, whose gaze remained steadfast. I reached over and tugged on the hem of their shorts, our old sign for _< are you pulling my leg?>_

They responded by bringing one hand over their heart and raising their brow encouragingly. _< Honest.>_

I stared a moment longer, studying their Determination levels. They still looked harmless enough, for now. But...

Those little hands had caused so much pain. It hurt to consider, but if they decided to attack anyone again, someone should be there.

 _Be there to do what?_ My thoughts rebuffed _. You don't have your shortcuts and the kid knows all of your attacks. In a chase, you'd lose them. In a battle, you'd be monumentally screwed. What could you possibly do?_ I took in the little face again. How could those eyes look so agonizingly clear of guilt?

I wrenched my gaze down to look at our shoes. _I could cheat... if it came down to it._

I gave a long sigh, still avoiding the human's scrutiny.  _< Ok,>_ I conceded. _< Nap time.>_

 _< Your house?>_ The hands fluttered in a hopeful way.

I shut that thought down as bluntly as possible. _< HECK NO. The Inn.>_

Though I'd been harsh, the kid's step seemed significantly lighter as we descended the stairs and headed to the riverbank where the boatperson always waited. There wasn't enough light to sign by as we sped through the river tunnel, so I settled on listening to the water lap against the hull of our little boat. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I heard a tuneless ditty siphoning from the inky robes of our guide:

"Tra la la... Beware of the man who speaks in hands."

I grimaced at the dark. Never had I been quite so aware of my own fingers.

 

 


	7. Appearances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans keeps an eye socket on the human while Papyrus provides the spaghetti.

After the strange silence of the "Fun" version of Hotland, Snowdin seemed garishly cheery. Each warm window was another tally in my mind, another home I needed to keep the kid away from.

Not that I could exactly do much if they decided to switch tactics again.

I saw Frisk's head turn to look at the villagers and I hurried them along. "Hey kiddo... the Inn's this way." I grabbed their hand (I swear the enamel was coming off my teeth, I ground them so hard) and made a beeline for the west end of town. I figured I could keep an eye on them easier at the Inn. The only customers there today were ghosts, and as far as I knew, humans couldn't lay a finger on something that didn't have a body. _What I wouldn't give for a shortcut right now_ , I thought. I wanted to be _in_ there and _settled_ before anyone could come and ask-

"SANS! IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?!"

I cringed. _Not now, Papyrus._

Frisk turned to face him before I did, disarming smile skimming across their lips. They tugged their hand from mine quickly and I stepped into a casual stance. To the outside observer, it looked like I was relaxed, but really I was balancing on the balls of my feet, ready for anything the kid might attempt. Papyrus spluttered.

"BUT- WELL HOW ON EARTH DID YOU- IS THAT A... HUMAN?!"

"Yep."

Papyrus' jaw gaped. "YOU-YOU'RE A HUMAN?" He said to my companion. A curt nod met his awe. He didn't seem to remember quite how to string two words together, so I did it for him.

"Kid's kinda tuckered out, Paps... thought I'd take them to the Inn before we met with the king and all."

Papyrus found his voice again. "BUT AREN'T HUMANS DANGEROUS, BROTHER? ISN'T THAT A RISK TO THE OTHER PATRONS?" My insides ran cold as I gave a good-natured chuckle.

"Are you seriously comparing _them_ to the pictures of dangerous humans in our history books? Let's be real, bro..." I glanced meaningfully at Frisk, who rocked on their toes childishly. I let my eye glow just a little to cement the undertones of my argument. "Squirt couldn't hurt a fly." I looked back up at Pap and winked. "And they, like I, are in sore need of a nap."

Papyrus considered this for a moment, then clicked his teeth indignantly. "THEN HOW COULD WE POSSIBLY CONDEMN THEM TO THE INN? ONCE CAPTURED, A PRISONER SHOULD BE TREATED WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL ASSURE SUCH ACCOMODATIONS BE MET WHILE THE HUMAN IS IN OUR CARE."

I could see where this was going. "Right, yeah, we'll care for them at the _Inn_ -"

"IT'S SETTLED THEN! THE HUMAN WILL TAKE THEIR REPOSE AT OUR HOUSE!"

"No! Papyrus, you don't-" But the deed was done. He had already scooped up the human in a piggyback and begun trekking to the east, footsteps crunching smartly in the fresh snow. "Jeez! Papyrus, there's a reason I-" He dismissed my arguments with a wave of his hand.

"YES, YES, I'M WELL AWARE THAT YOU DON'T WANT THE EXTRA WORK OF DOING THEIR DISHES. I'LL LOOK AFTER THAT." I struggled to keep up, taking three steps to his one. Even so, I made it to the house before he did. I blocked the entrance with a practiced air of cheer, dimly noting that I'd left the door scorched in the snow with my last exit.

"Don't be a bonehead, bro. I got this, ok?"

Papyrus towered over me. "YOU CERTAINLY DON'T 'GOT THIS', SANS, YOU WERE GOING TO LEAVE THIS HUMAN ALONE IN A HOTEL WITH NO DINNER! IS THAT ANY WAY TO TREAT A GUEST?"

"Seriously. It's no big deal... let's just get a bed for them, an hour tops..." 

"I'VE NEVER KNOWN YOU TO SO ADAMANTLY INSIST ON TAKING CARE OF A CHORE." Frisk grinned over the top of Papyrus' skull at me. _Little stinker_. "WORRY NOT, FOR I AM A MOST HOSPITABLE HOST." And just like that, he brushed past me and into the house. I felt the magic rising up in anxious tangles around my ribs and allowed it to flow up to my eye. 

I watched the human very carefully as Papyrus gave them the grand tour. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. That same Determination flickered, warm and irregular, from the tiny body, with no hint of the darkness that had tinged it in timelines past. I still didn't like it. I shoved my hands in my pockets and followed the pair uneasily up the stairs. 

"THIS IS MY ROOM," Papyrus announced. He lifted the kid from his shoulders and placed them gently on the flame-patterned carpet. "MY INNER SANCTUM. MY REFUGE. MY PLACE OF COOLNESS." I kept an eye on Frisk from the door as they politely admired the shelf of action figures: of course they'd seen this before, but Papyrus was getting a kick out of explaining things, so they played along. After describing the origin of the skull-and-crossbones flag on his wall, Papyrus puffed out his chest and drew himself up to his full height (which was considerable). "HUMAN," he said, gloved hand placed squarely over his sternum, "AS MY GUEST YOU ARE WELCOME TO STAY HERE FOR AS MUCH TIME AS YOU WISH."

"Or as little," I amended from the doorway.

"I WOULD BE HONORED TO PROVIDE A REFRESHMENT BEFORE YOUR NAP. WOULD YOU LIKE SOME DELUXE KIBBLE? OR PERHAPS SOME OF SANS'..." He shuddered in distaste, "HOT DOGS?" Frisk shook their head with a smile. "A DISCERNING PALETTE, I SEE!" Papyrus laughed and clapped a hand on the child's back, nearly bowling them over in his enthusiasm. "THEN I HAVE JUST THE THING FOR YOU! JOIN ME FOR A PLATE OF THE FINEST SPAGHETTI!" The kid shook their head vehemently, but Papyrus was already halfway down the stairs.

"I think that's a great idea, bro!" I called after him. "Make sure to use the special batch you've been aging!" I grinned at Frisk. "In the cupboard. For two weeks." I rubbed a "y" over my belly cheerily. _< Yummy yummy.> _

The kid flung out a sarcastic _< Thanks>_ before brushing past me and down the stairs. Papyrus, ever conscientious, had propped the door back in its frame and was busy piling his signature spaghetti on a non-cracked plate, the best we had.

I watched from the couch in careful indifference as Papyrus served his dish. To the kid's credit, they ate every bite. I'd never seen my brother so happy.

"NOW, HUMAN," he said after the last meatball disappeared, "ALLOW ME TO OFFER YOU A PLACE ON THE COUCH-" he looked over at me, " _SHOO, SANS_ \- ON THE COUCH TO REST! _SANS, I MEAN IT, BE A GOOD HOST_." I sighed and stood, sidling over to stand by the TV. With a flourish, Papyrus whipped the tablecloth from the table (Only one plate broke on the floor- he was getting better at that) and laid it delicately on the couch.

"HUMAN, I KNOW YOU'RE NOT ONE FOR TALKING, BUT PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO ASK FOR ANYTHING YOU MAY NEED." Frisk nodded and a quick _< Thanks, Papyrus> _flashed up from their fingers. My brother stopped and stared for a second, probably wondering why the sign was so familiar. The way Frisk playfully incorporated a letter 'p' into the word "gloves" to form Pap's nickname wasn't something the human had invented: I'd taught it to them, before they'd become... whatever they were. An ache sprang wide in my chest. Pap had loved that name when it was given to him back in the True Lab.

Then the spell broke and he shrugged and took the leftover noodles to the kitchen. After all, according to this timeline, he had no reason to remember the sign.

Papyrus flitted around, attending to this and that, until the kid was settled. I nervously studied their determination levels from my post by the TV. Still clean. "SANS, YOU'RE BEING RUDE. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE TO DO YOUR BOONDOGGLING OR LURKING OR... WHATEVER IT IS YOU DO." I shrugged nonchalantly and went to sit at the table.

Finally, he crossed his arms, regarding his work. "WHY, YOU DON'T LOOK SLEEPY AT ALL!" The human peeked up quietly from beneath two tablecloths, a blanket, the coat Doggo had left here last week, a fluffy towel, and a spare couch cushion. I thought I saw their eyes crinkle in a smile, but it was tough to tell under all that fabric. Papyrus considered his options. "SANS ALWAYS READS ME STORIES BEFORE BED. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR ONE?" Doggo's sleeve moved slightly as the kid nodded.

I listened, with mixed feelings, to the bold recitation of Bunny Goes to Town. By the time he reached the part about the Italian restaurant, my brother had sunk into a relaxed position by the couch, cross-legged, half-remembered fondness touching his voice. Guard down.

When the kid looked over at me, my eye was already glaring frigid daggers in their direction. _Don't try anything, pal._

They stared at me for an uncomfortable moment, then settled deeper into the couch and closed their eyes. Papyrus perked up. _"SANS,"_ He whispered. His was the only whisper I'd ever heard that could carry through walls. _" SANS, I THINK THE HUMAN IS ASLEEP."_

"Not everyone can fall asleep as fast as I c-" I broke off, noting the triumph in my brother's expression. "You know what? I think you're right! Just in time, too... Undyne'll kick your coccyx if you don't report this right away."

He leapt to his feet. "OH MY GOSH, YOU'RE RIGHT!" He danced excitedly on the spot for a moment before he could verbalize his thoughts. "UNDYNE WILL BE SO PROUD! I HAVE TO GO TELL HER RIGHT NOW!" An enthusiastic kick left the door lying once more in the snow. He sprinted a few paces, stopped, turned back to the house and whispered back towards the entrance. I could still hear him perfectly. 

_"YOU KEEP AN EYE SOCKET ON THAT HUMAN! DON'T YOU DARE LET THEM ESCAPE!"_

I threw him a smart salute. Reassured, he bounded off in the direction of the river. _Don't worry, Papyrus,_ I thought, focusing on the kid's Determination flickering under the covers. _I couldn't fall asleep right now even if I wanted to._

 


	8. A Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is one memory he holds tight to.

_The Lab looked the same as ever, at least to my mottled memory. Of course I'd had to leave out details like cabinet latches and floor tiles over time, but the important parts remained. Wings remained._

_Her clever little hands tied sheets over bedposts and potted plants with impressive speed. Her fort was really taking shape._

_< Sans, help!> She signed, pointing at a bed frame. The crack that ran through her mouth (one of many on her small skull) creaked as she smiled._ 

_< Want me to tip it up?> I signed. She nodded eagerly. I sauntered over and examined the bed. <Don't know... looks heavy,> I mused. She tugged playfully on my lab coat, our old sign for "You're pulling my leg". I grinned and flared my magic, tipping the bedframe into an upright position to form a support for her makeshift tent._

_She danced on the spot, throwing a quick <THANK YOU> In my direction before diving back into her work. Sticking my hands in my pockets, I watched her play, content to be there instead of in the workroom._

_A stern "Ahem" sounded from the door._

_Putting on my most disarming smile, I turned to face Aster. "Hey! Come to join us? We haven't done the door yet, and I figure since you know how to make an entrance-"_

_His thin voice grated over mine like a fine file. "Breaktime was over twenty minutes ago. Wingdings is a moderately intelligent child, I'm sure you can leave her to her own devices." I glanced regretfully at the little skull peeking out from behind the tent._

  _< Gotta go> I said gently. Aster sniffed his approval, turning smartly on his heel and heading back towards the workroom. I waited until his footsteps receded, then glanced back at Wings' dejected face. <Back soon though,> I signed, and winked. She brightened._

_In the workroom, Aster was already bent over a set of schematics. "I wish you wouldn't carry on like that," he muttered._

_"I wouldn't have come to work today if I knew you were going_ tibia _so grumpy," I chuckled._

_He whirled on me. "We have not been granted a place to stay by the KING HIMSELF so we can waste our time and energy on... on TRIVIAL GAMES!"_

_"_ _Hey, cut me some slack! I need to relax or I can't work. If you don't find it_ humerus _-"_

_"THAT is EXACTLY what I'm talking about!" His thin form towered over mine, angry blue magic spilling through his clenched teeth. Though many pieces of the memory wavered, the way his voice echoed hollow off the tile still stuck vividly in my mind. "You may be able to make light of our bodies, but every time you do, I'm reminded of where we come from, how the death of both a human and a monster contributed to our existence, how sickeningly UNNATURAL we are. I'M trying to keep one of US from ever happening again, I'd appreciate it if YOU DID TOO."_

_I watched him, unsure. The silence curdled around us, still and staticky. I chose my words slowly. "Let me get this straight... You think that since we weren't born like other monsters... we don't deserve to be... happy?"_

_He turned back to his work. I couldn't tell if his silence was one of affirmation or confusion._

_"G-guys!" Alphys' voice rang through the intercom, making us both jump. "I... I think we've got another one! He's big, I can't carry him myself!"_

_Aster stiffened at his work table. I waited to see if he would respond, and when he didn't, I punched the intercom button. "Be right up, Al."_


	9. Reset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the frick frack diddily dack patty wack snick snack crack pack slack mack quarterback crackerjack biofeedback backtrack thumbtack sidetrack tic-tac is this kid up to?

I sat up in bed, Determination clinging gloppy to my skull. "SANS!" Papyrus called from downstairs. "Sans, get up! I've made you breakfast, and I daresay..." I groaned loudly, cutting off the rest of his greeting. I had a monumental headache. "I'm gonna kill that kid," I muttered, shuddering as I pulled the Determination back into my body. I was running low, I'd have to pick up some more. I slugged into my hoodie. _I'm such a bonehead,_ I thought. _A little speaking in Hands and I'm melted butter._ I stumbled out of my room, still woozy from straining to hold on to my memories with too little Determination. _Think I lost a couple more details... what color was Wings wearing again...?_

"SANS! GOOD MORNING! OFF TO WORK EARLY, I HOPE?"

 I grimaced at the volume of his voice. "Yeah, Paps, the trees falling in the forest aren't gonna hear themselves."

 "EXCELLENT! LET ME PACK YOU A BREAKFAST!"

 "Most important meal of the day," I mused, moving my hand so he could squish a small plate of spaghetti inside my hoodie pocket. I sighed tiredly. "Thanks Paps... I'm off." I opened the door, sidestepped the icicle as it shattered on the doorstep, and scanned the area. There were some teenagers hiding in the trees behind the house, but not close enough to see what I was doing. I quietly slipped around the snowbank and into my makeshift lab.

 The Machine lay abandoned in the corner, just like the old charts littering the room, and I had to grab it to steady myself. _That last reset really did a number on me, kid,_ I thought, unlocking a drawer. Inside, along with a doodle of Aster, Wings and I (drawn by Wings' own hand before the accident), lay dozens of test tubes, filled with varying shades of gold liquid. I picked one up and uncorked it. These were technically "failed" experiments, since regular monsters couldn't stand up to this much concentrated Determination.

 But us skeletons were no regular monsters.

 I placed the mouth of the vial in my left eye socket, steeled myself, and poured it all in at once.

 The heat seared, immediate and intense, through my entire skull. Though I clenched my teeth, a light wimper managed to escape. _0, 1, 1, 2,_ I counted, focusing on the sequence of numbers rather than the pain. _3, 5, 8, 13..._ Once I made it to 55, the heat started to subside.

 Magic curled tight around my ribs and I cracked my knuckles, feeling the Determination settling into my marrow. Fresh. Boiling. _Okay human. Ready or not, here I come._

 

* * * *

 

 Hotland felt more welcoming this time. Or rather, the magic moving inside me felt matched to the roiling lava below. I found the freak standing, once again, by the elevator. Stopping dead a few paces away, I watched the heat warping and bending their outline. The excess Determination seeped into my clothing, twisting it in patterns unrelated to gravity.

  _< You lied,>_ I accused. _< Why?>_

  _< Wanted new dialogue.>_

 Bones rose threateningly from the hard soil around me. <TALK LIKE A NORMAL MONSTER,> I growled.

 Frisk tilted their head, formulating their next statement. _< Thought I knew everything Papyrus says. But this run different. New situation, new conversation, new news for friends.>_

 I stared coldly, waiting for further explanation, but nothing was forthcoming. Frisk pressed the button and the elevator door slid open. _< Coming?>_ I held my ground. in the distance, something cold hissed against the lava... and then the freak took a step towards me. 

 Bones tore through the air, brushing millimeters from that round face and forming a barrier between us. The kid seemed unfazed; steady fingers calmly signed behind the bars. _< Found new variable. Come.>_

  _< When Hotland freezes over,>_ I said, with more than a little quiver to my hands.

 That elicited a grin from the kid. _< Exactly.>_ And before I could do anything about it, They plucked at a stray shortcut in the air, appeared behind me, and shoved me into the elevator. My blasters popped into existence immediately, but it wasn't fast enough; the world dissolved into a blinding stream of red light and they melted into it even as the beams gathered at their throats. I defensively reached inside myself to shelter the precious memories, ready for another onslaught of burning energy, but then I stopped. This reset was different. There was no force, time didn't pull me backwards with it. In fact, nothing seemed to be moving at all. I opened my eyes.

 We were still in the elevator. Sort of. Instead of the cool tiling and florescent lights, I was met with a surprising lack of detail. The floor didn't feel like much of anything, and whatever came from the lightbulbs felt less like light and more like an absence of any shadows. Like the hand of some God hadn't drawn them in yet.

 Apparently I'd ended up on the ground, because Frisk was grinning cheekily down at me. I bolted to my feet. _ <How you know about shortcut? What is this?!> _I panted, slick with Determination. Not having my shortcuts was bad enough; now this abomination could use them?

 They seemed to smile as if at some private joke. _ <Is Hotland, frozen over. Not by temperature, but by time. Ready?>_

 I flinched away from their outstretched hand. _ <For what?>_

  _< To meet Gaster.>_

 

 


End file.
